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ISLAMABAD: After the cabinet endorsed the country’s internal national security policy on Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressing the session said that in order to ensure the safety and security of citizens, the government would establish its writ across the country under all circumstances, DawnNews reported.

He said the government had initiated the dialogue process with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with sincerity and made arrangements for the outlawed group’s negotiators to travel to Waziristan for holding consultations with militant leaders but by targeting innocent civilians, the TTP had rendered the process meaningless.

Establishing peace in the country is the ultimate goal, the prime minister said, adding that the state's writ would be established at all costs.

Earlier during the session, the federal cabinet ratified the internal security policy and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is expected to announce its details in Parliament tomorrow.

Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sharif, the ministers consulted on the policy as well as on peace talks with the TTP.

The cabinet agreed that the TTP would have to announce an unconditional ceasefire, adding that the banned group now stood alone and the nation had united against terrorism.

Sources told DawnNews that in accordance with the policy, the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) would be the focal organisation for national security, adding that the heads of the armed forces would be among members of Nacta.

The cabinet agreed that all decisions pertaining to anti-terror measures would be taken at the highest levels of authority.

The cabinet gave its nod on the policy following a briefing on it by Chaudhry Nisar who also took the ministers into confidence over the situation in relation to peace talks and targeted operations.

The policy also entails the formation of a joint intelligence directorate to make the exchange of information more effective on federal and provincial levels.

Moreover, the policy document notes that the total strength of 33 national security organisations, including the police and other civil armed forces, both at the federal as well as the provincial level, exceeded 600,000, which is more than the sixth largest standing army of the world i.e. Pakistan.

Snippets from the 86-page document also say Pakistan is the country most affected by terrorism in the world after Iraq, but if the severity of the incidents is considered, it even surpasses the Middle Eastern nation.

The draft of National Internal Security Policy (NISP) 2013-2018 describes the scenario as dangerous, posing an existential threat to the integrity and sovereignty of the state.

“From 2001 to 2013, there were 13,721 incidents in Pakistan which is marginally less than Iraq. From 2001 to 2005, there were 523 terrorist incidents in Pakistan but from 2007 to November 2013, the total number of incidents has risen to 13,198.”

The document, which is being billed as the country’s first internal security policy, also says that from 2001 to November 2013, 48,994 people were killed in the country including 5,272 personnel of the law-enforcement agencies, a large number of them – 17,642 – having been killed in just three years from 2011 to 2013 including 2,114 personnel of the law-enforcement agencies.

Comments (19) Closed

SHS

Feb 25, 2014 12:49pm

Unbelievable.....look at the size of that cabinet. Projection screens are needed just so that everyone can see what is going on !! Countries several times the size of Pakistan can have their entire cabinets meet in a room one fourth this size. Were the caption not available for the picture, one could easily mistake this for a conference of sorts....

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Ahsan

Feb 25, 2014 02:14pm

@ SHS. Please count the number of cabinet members and not the sheer size of room. The number of participants is around 24-25 in this pic.This is one of the smallest cabinet in recent history of the country.

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SizeMatters

Feb 25, 2014 03:38pm

This seems to be a World Peace Summit !!!

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Ali

Feb 25, 2014 03:52pm

@SHS:
Wow and we belong to a poor country with its debt exceeding 60 Billion dollars

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Musa

Feb 25, 2014 03:53pm

@ SHS its all about staisfying egos in Pakistan. Im sorry too see that still there is no clear policy. PATHETIC!

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irfan baloch

Feb 25, 2014 04:10pm

a former leader (dictator) tried that writ thing on Red Mosque thugs and now he is being charged for treason

so tread lightly Mr Sharif, the same people will demand your head if you try to defend the state against the people your own party members call our "angry brothers"

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Rex Minor

Feb 25, 2014 05:10pm

The Prime Minister has taken of the mask which he was wearing to get elected. He sits as a Villain in the photo miles apart from the so called cabinet. He is not suitable to unite or lead the country of different Nations. KPK and Baluchistan will now separate from the main corpus.

Rex Minor

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Aatish

Feb 25, 2014 06:01pm

@SHS: Though I agree with you in that the size of the federal cabinet should be reduced. However, in this particular case the meeting includes federal as well as provincial cabinets. If you look carefully you will notice Mr. Shabaz Sharif sitting on one of the chairs. It is better to do your research before passing judgements.

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Jamal Khetran

Feb 25, 2014 06:34pm

We are 210 million plus and growing. These are the people's elected representatives. They should be given a chance.

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fazal pai

Feb 25, 2014 07:15pm

Yes sir, ok boss, my pleasure, as you wish and so on. they have to endorse every matter. we have a history of straight endorsements by cabinets, in addition one can say by ( think AGAIN tanks of pakistan.

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El Cid

Feb 25, 2014 07:51pm

The PM, under Alphabet's Command, presiding over the next step in the dissolution of Pakistan. Pakistanis watch. The World is laughing.

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Ahmer

Feb 25, 2014 08:58pm

Mian Sahib changes his tune with each season. Hope this is his last pronouncement on the subject and he does clean out all terrorists from the sacred soil of Pakistan.

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ahmed

Feb 26, 2014 02:07am

@SizeMatters: This is a file photo. Someone simply recycles old photos rather than take the trouble of taking photos of the actual event (or meeting in this case).

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Watandaar

Feb 26, 2014 03:03am

@Aatish: That's the problem - you could only see Shahbaz Sharif in Federal cabinet meetings, Prime Minister's and Presidential visits - you won't see CMs of any other province as if they belong to a different country. You seem to have done some research so you would know that he is the same person who would meet Army in the dark before general elections ;)

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msa

Feb 26, 2014 03:26am

The cabinet size is 60 or more ministers - isn't it?

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Ikram Dar

Feb 26, 2014 07:06am

This hall is a representation of where all foreign aid is used.

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SHS

Feb 26, 2014 11:26am

@Aatish:
If the cabinets of all the 4 provinces were present, you wouldn't need a room -- you would need an auditorium to fit everyone in. We all know Shahabaz Sharif's (frequent) presence at federal meetings that fall outside his jurisdiction is in no way an indication of provincial representation, but rather, an extension of the family's view of "ownership" when it comes to matters of state...

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Sri Lankan Muslim

Feb 27, 2014 11:53am

@SHS:
You must see the size of Sri Lankan cabinet! Population only 20 million they have a cabinet of 62 minister! Isn't it a world record?

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waseem

Feb 28, 2014 07:32am

@SHS:
Pakistan owned by Sharif family and friends now. keep counting numbers increasing day by day.